The EPA cannot prove communication between oil and gas wells and potable water sources (HCN, 6/27/11). I discussed your fracking story with a friend who is a petroleum chemical engineer, and he believes only one well in a thousand may have communication. He believes poor cement jobs on the casing are more the culprit than fracking.
I think this issue needs to be proven one way or another. I do not believe the oil companies have any desire to waste money or pollute drinking water. If fracking is affecting potable water sources, the process can be modified so that it does not. The solution is not to ban fracking, but to modify the process to keep it safe. As technology advances, so must safety parameters.
P. David Kennedy
Littleton, Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Prove it already.
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